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Diving into the Next Fest

November 2, 2016

In 2016, Bad Bad Bunny won a spot in the Lottery and brought In the Blue of Evening to the Festival. Who will win this year? Applications are now open! Photo by Bruce McPherson.

Artist Applications Now Open!

Here’s your chance to star in the 2017 Vancouver Fringe Festival! All you have to do is create a play that’s 75 minutes or less, that can be set up and taken down in 15 minutes, read the emails we send you regarding important dates, deadlines, and opportunities, and work your butt off to create the best show you can! Oh, and win your spot via random draw.

The application fee is $50 and if you get a spot in the Festival the fee is $800 for a 31-75 minute show and $600 for a show under 30 minutes (including the $50 non-refundable application fee). Winners will be announced at the Lottery Party on December 9, starting at 5:30pm at Performance Works.

A Mainstage venue spot refers to shows that are placed in a venue supplied by the Festival, including a technician, basic lighting, and sound. There are approximately eight groups assigned to each venue.

The Party will start at 5:30pm on Friday, December 9. Games, drinks, suspense, laughter, music, camaraderie, prizes from Big Rock Urban Brewery—and of course, attending means you’ll be the first to know which artists will be part of the 2017 Vancouver Fringe Festival! If that sounds like your idea of a good time, you’re correct and should come!

The Georgia Straight: Arts, Culture, and Revolution

The Georgia Straight is Canada’s largest urban weekly newspaper, so it’s no wonder that the Straight is the first place people turn for information on arts and events in Vancouver!

The weekly print issue has been around since 1967 when it began as an anti-establishment focused newspaper that was raided by the Vancouver police and was the first to showcase Greenpeace’s work. Launching www.straight.com in 1996 the Georgia Straight is now the leading source for what’s happening in Vancouver. 2017 will be a landmark year as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary.

The Straight is probably best known for their arts coverage and their popular Best of Vancouver issue where readers vote for their favourite businesses, events, and more. We’re proud to lay claim as Vancouver’s Best Performing Arts Festival, an award the Fringe has won so many times that we’ve been inducted into the Straight’s Hall of Fame!

Colin Thomas recommends seeing Butt Kapinski, saying, “This ain’t a review, see? It’s a tip. And, if you know what’s good for ya, you’ll act on it. Fast. … What’s going to happen this time? Who the fuck knows? That’s part of the fun. And don’t worry; you’ll be in good hands.” Photo by Nathaniel Mason.

The Theatre Scene

Just a taste of what Vancouver has to offer in the way of Theatre

Butt Kapinski: Dick on the Loose November 3-5 Grant D. Burnyeat Rehearsal Hall at the BMO Theatre Centre
Love film noir? Like getting your mind blown? Butt Kapinski is back with a whole new interactive comedy-mystery for the whole family, provided the whole family is over 18 and totally twisted. Need reason to book a ticket? Click here. Do the critics like it? You bet.

Green Lake November 17-27 Performance Works
Katey Hoffman, one half of the 2016 Public Market Pick of the Fringe winning show, The After After Party, takes a nuanced look at the coming of age of Jane NoName, who falls in love at summer camp and starts to see the truth of the world around her.

Tragedy + Time Served = Comedy November 25-26 Dusty Flower Pot Cabaret 2050 Scotia St.
Missed it at the 2016 Fringe? Mark Hughes shines a light on his dark and grim past of street life, addiction, and prison through introspective and playful stand-up comedy.

And Now for Something Completely Different: aka the 2017 Fringe Cometh

October 12, 2016

The many happy faces of people at the 2016 Vancouver Fringe Festival! Top left photo by Clayton Wong; all other photos by Mike Vlasman.

Another Festival has come and gone. We hope you had as much fun as we did! The 2016 Fringe broke attendance records with over 35,000 attendees—that’s a 6.6% increase over last year and it doesn’t even include attendance at un-ticketed events like the Big Rock Brewery Fringe Bar! We’re also proud to say that we paid out the most revenue to artists ever—more than a ¼ of a million dollars—that’s an 11% increase over 2015 artist payouts. Obviously more and more people are discovering the Fringe and we are happy to welcome them into the fold!

Along with increased attendance, we sold out all the available Raffle tickets this year! The Raffle is a fundraising initiative for the Festival and it would not be possible without the generous support of G Adventures and Motorino. Congratulations to our winners, L.D. Matlow, who will be heading to Peru, Vivian Chen took home the scooter, and Addison Lanier will Fringe it up next year with a Kick Ass Pass—good for him and a plus one—to as many shows as he wants!

2016 welcomed in a new home for the Big Rock Brewery Fringe Bar at Ocean Art Works on Granville Island. The space was huge, open, and had a great view of the OSGEMEOS “Giants” Mural at Ocean Concrete, as well as the beautiful underside of the Granville Street Bridge to accompany a stellar music lineup. The new Fringe Bar was easier to find and we welcomed people who were unaware of the Fringe in addition to the Festival artists, volunteers, and patrons.

It’s always great hearing from Festival audiences. Volunteers conducted surveys throughout the Fringe and your responses are so heartening—here’s just a small sampling of what your fellow patrons had to say:

“Fringe is my favourite time of year. I always look forward to the Festival. It’s one of the most inspiring, unique, and fun experiences/festivals in Vancouver.”
“It is my most favourite event of the year. I take the whole week off from work to attend.”
“Weird and wonderful. Always fun and entertaining and supporting small artists and their odd, brilliant minds.”
“Wonderful. Haven’t been in years, so glad to come back.”

The “Giants” overlooking the Fringe Bar. Photo by Emilio Merritt.

We also received great feedback from a deaf patron who attended the performance of Does Not Play Well With Others, which was interpreted into American Sign Language. They said, “This is the first theatre show I’ve ever had the opportunity to come to and I’m so excited that it’s at the Fringe. I’m definitely coming back to volunteer next year.”

Speaking of volunteers, Angie Descalzi, who oversees everything to do with volunteers, was overjoyed at the number of people who personally told her they planned on donating time again next year. Meanwhile, one volunteer responded to the volunteer survey by saying, “Just meeting and talking to people from all different walks of life is what I enjoy the most. I appreciate the inclusiveness and acceptance of everyone. That we can all be ourselves at face value is important to me.”

The artists also reported that they had a positive experience. Britt MacLeod, who was the Composer/Lyricist for Carry On: A Musical said:

“This show was our first experience developing a musical from first spark of inspiration to performance, and I can’t imagine a better environment to put it on for the first time. … My team and I found ourselves in a supportive environment at Fringe that encourages new work and experimentation. We met amazing artists from all over the world, and got a chance to network with and support local peers. … I find myself hugely inspired by the work I took in, and the conversations I had with artists and audience members. I saw intriguing mixed-media, multidisciplinary shows, brave and sparse solo shows, expertly done comedy and sketch shows, new plays. … I feel a new confidence having had this experience.”

Britt also pointed to the volunteers: “I think many of them are diehards, but wherever they come from, they are amazing people. Passionate, supportive, interesting, positive.”

We heard lots of other fun stories—like how there was a marriage proposal during Charlatan!—and we want to hear more! Take our Audience Survey and help us learn more about you and your Festival experience. Don’t forget to share your stories and tell us what the Fringe means to you. Plus, all survey respondents who include contact information will be entered into a draw for a Pass for the 2017 Fringe. We look forward to what you have to say!

3. Mainstage Artists: Think you’ve got the chops to stage your show at the Waterfront Theatre, Performance Works, or one of our other Mainstages? Lottery applications will be open November 2-30. And yes, it’s true, we draw applications out of a literal hat, and no, we don’t need to know anything about what you plan or hope to put on stage. Details here.

4. Bring Your Own Venue / Site-Specific Artists: Want to plan a show at Havana or Carousel Theatre? How about on a boat or the back of a van? These applications are chosen on a first come, first served basis with a few caveats. Applications open in January. Info here.

5. Dramatic Works Series: Love drama and want to work with a previously published script? This may be the category for you. The structure and guidelines are changing this year. Stay tuned for more info. However, we can tell you that applications will open in January.

We’ll update you with more details and will send out reminders about application deadlines. Don’t forget to share this info with all your friends who are or want to be performing artists—especially if they’re from out of town or outside Canada!

Fringers and folks from FS Financial mingle at a post-Festival event. Did you know they’ll donate $100 on your behalf following a free financial education session to the charity of your choice? And yes, the Fringe is a charity! Photo by Clayton Wong.

On the first day of the Festival you may have noticed an FS Financial Strategies tent near the Box Office. Or maybe you heard a curtain speech or saw a poster for Mission of Care Day, one of the Your Fringe for a Day days. But what is FS Financial and Mission of Care?

FS Financial Strategies is, as their name suggests, a financial strategies company. If you’re looking to set up a legacy gift, invest money, or even make sure your insurance package is right for you, they’ll be able to help—regardless of how much or how little you have. But what sets them apart are their goals surrounding philanthropy and volunteerism. This is exemplified by the Mission of Care program. Since FS Financial Strategies started Mission of Care in 2010, their program has donated to more than 850 charities—including the Fringe!

Back on September 8, FS Financial Strategies sent staff to volunteer at the Festival—they contributed to selling every single 2016 Raffle ticket! And while here, they also told people about Mission of Care.

FS Financial even held a post-Festival special event at their West Broadway location to introduce their members to what the Fringe does and to introduce them to a special group of Fringe donors and volunteers. Robyn Kurtz, our Director of Patron Development, spoke about her own love of the Festival (did you know she had her wedding reception at the Fringe Bar?). FS Financial’s co-founder, Scott Low, also spoke to those in attendance about the importance of the arts and how the arts needs both money and volunteer hours to thrive.

So how does Mission of Care work to help the Fringe? When you attend a complimentary financial education session, FS will donate $100 on your behalf to the Fringe Festival or to a cause or charity of your choice—no strings attached. To learn more about Mission of Care, or to book your financial education session to support the Fringe Festival, send an email to give@missionofcare.ca or call 1-844-887-3732.

It takes a lot of people to put on the Fringe, and not just artists, staff, volunteers, and donors. Each year, many businesses join the Fringe community to help achieve the goal of theatre for everyone! Here’s a peek into why the Festival couldn’t be as fantastic without our Partners:

The Fringe’s sponsors love to come out and have fun at the Festival too! And their participation is so important! G Adventures photo by Sunny Kim; Barefoot photo by Emilio Merritt; Tubify photo by Clayton Wong; Roundhouse Radio photo by Dakota Shelby.

And we wouldn’t have a home for the Fringe without CMHC Granville Island welcoming the Fringe and being the Festival’s home base by providing spaces such as the Festival Hub and the new location of the Big Rock Brewery Fringe Bar at Ocean Art Works!

If you stopped by the Fringe Bar or the Info Centre Hub, then you probably bought a Raffle Ticket! Were you hoping to win a trip to Peru from G Adventures? Or maybe you had your eye on the electric scooter from Motorino? Did you know they gave us the prizes to Raffle off to raise funds for the Festival and Fringe artists? It’s true.

And of course, logistics are important too! Thanks to Thunderbolt Sign and PrintPrint.ca for signage, passes, and all sorts of printed materials that helped with marketing, wayfinding, and more! And Cubeit’s temporary storage made organizing things that much easier.

And then there were the volunteers. Obviously the Festival would not be possible without all their efforts, but our Partners assist by keeping the 500 or so volunteers ready for action! Shear Comfort helps make our volunteer program possible. Add to that the snacks like Tubify’s organic fair-trade freezies, Sunrype juices, the Great Jamaican ginger beer, and all the small businesses like Terra Breads and Cupcakes on Broadway that provided munchies and organizations like Instant Theatre and the Vancouver International Improv Festival that provided prizes—Fringe volunteers were kept happy and hydrated.

These Partners are part of your Fringe Family! Please join us in thanking them for helping make the Festival so amazing!

Just a taste of what Vancouver has to offer in the way of Theatre

The Vancouver International Puppet Festival Gala & Slamette is on Saturday, Oct. 15 and tickets are just $25.

The Concierge of Vancouver Now – October 16 Studio 1398
Vancouver’s housing market got you down? Laugh with this satirical story of an unassuming concierge in an upscale condo building who also works for a reclusive donor.

Rap Guide to Climate Chaos October 12-13 Revue Stage
The 2016-2017 Theatre Wire season kicks off with “Peer reviewed rapper” Baba Brinkman, who’ll break down the politics, economics, and science of global warming, following its surprising twists from the carbon cycle to the global energy economy.

Vancouver International Puppet Festival October 14-16 Various Venues
Exploding with animated characters, the very first Vancouver International Puppet Festival is filled with performances, workshops, interactive panel discussions, and screenings of the work of local and international puppeteers, puppet builders, and object animators, including Fringe alumni Ragmop Theatre (2016’s Falling Awake) with Ideas Bobert! and Mind of a Snail’s Inside Outlet.

Butt Kapinski: Dick on the Loose November 3-5Grant D. Burnyeat Rehearsal Hall at the BMO Theatre Centre (162 West 1st Ave.)
Be part of a film noir mystery with everyone’s favourite dick, Butt Kapinski, in a brand new show. There are just three performances in a small venue, so book your seat ASAP!